The Holmes Beach traffic committee is driving ahead with its plans to eliminate street parking in residential neighborhoods despite some roadblocks.
The committee met Nov. 12 and discussed elements needed to draft an ordinance that would ban parking on all residential streets with the only exception being streets Key Royale.
The committee hopes city commissioners will approve its plans, but a thumbs-up must first be received from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said committee chair Carol Soustek.
Soustek and fellow committee members have proposed regulations that would ban parking — except by permits — on residential streets and rights of way. Permits would be issued to residents from the Holmes Beach Police Department.
The committee is awaiting confirmation from the DEP that relocating some public parking spaces will not negatively impact the island’s eligibility for funding for beach renourishment projects.
The impetus for the committee’s plan — which began taking shape in April — is vehicles crowding residential streets during tourist season.
“Until we hear from Tallahassee, we can’t ask for too much. As soon as that decision is handed down, our hands are free to then ask the commission to bring it up on their next work session, and hopefully get an ‘OK’ to move it forward,” Soustek said.
The committee spent its Nov. 12 meeting reviewing parking ordinances from St. Pete Beach, Belleair Beach and Sanibel Island. The intent of the review is to piecemeal an ordinance for Holmes Beach, to be finalized by city attorney Patricia Petruff.
In addition to restricting parking on residential streets and rights of way, the committee will propose rules for golf carts, penalties for violating the rules and exemptions to the rules.
It was tentatively decided to require golf carts owners to obtain permits to park in the street.
Additionally, the committee plans to propose increasing parking fines from $35 to $50 and to make subsequent days of illegal parking a new offense. This means each day a car is illegally parked, police officers can apply a new parking ticket.
A resident would be able to apply for a permit under the proposed regulations for $10 through the HBPD. The permits would be valid for two years and the vehicle must be registered to an address in Holmes Beach. Residents would be able to obtain a permit for each vehicle registered to a city address.
Exemptions to the rules were discussed, including how to deal with commercial and service vehicles, vehicles with handicap parking permits and private resident “event” parking with prior notice to HBPD.
Soustek said she planned to suggest paying for the implementation of the parking ban plan using the permit fees. She estimated the fees collected would cover the attorney fees to draft the ordinance, purchase signs and install them.
The committee will present its plan to the commission at a Nov. 25 meeting. Members hope to be on a city meeting agenda by December or January.
The city commission will meet 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, at city hall, 5801 Marina Drive.